Finding Nico
by Sarcastic Sunshine
Summary: Nico makes a wish on a star like what his sister had told him to when he was young but at that moment a boy from school walks beneath him and hears. Will this bring them together? Or will it push them apart? Eventual Solangelo (bare with it!) Please R&R it means a lot
1. chapter 1

Nico woke up in a cold sweat as he gulped for breaths, trying to remind himself that he wasn't a kid who stood by and watched his sister slip through his fingers and disappear forever. He knew he would never forget how angry he was at her for hanging out with her new friends and seemingly forgetting about him and how... No. Nico stopped himself; she knew he loved her even when he was angry. She still knew that. His thoughts seemed to be suffocating him as his memories flooded out from the deepest corner of his brain where he had stored them. He knew he would never be able to erase them and a part of him didn't want to. His memories may always make him miss her more and hurt to think about, but he would never give them up.

He walked out to his balcony to get some fresh air and clear his head, but even doing that brought back memories and as he looked up at the sky, he remembered something that had been so long ago that he had almost forgotten. He remembered he used to have nightmares a lot and Bianca used to take him outside to help him relax and then would point at each constellation in the night sky and tell him the stories behind them. Then she would turn to him and make him tell her what he was dreaming about and what he would wish for to make it better; she told him the stars would listen and make it come true. So that's what he did. But, when she passed, he stopped, yet he knew holding it all inside was bad and unhealthy, so with a nostalgic smile on his face, he began

"Hey Bianca, I know I have kind of been holding in all my feelings and not opening up to anyone, but I know you are listening and I'm tired of holding it in." Nico paused and looked at the sky and saw a shooting star. He wiped his tears and took another breath. But as he began his next sentence, Will walked under his balcony and paused when he heard a small voice from above him; a voice that held so much pain and grief that he couldn't help but listen in

"I missed you, it just hasn't been the same without you. I've changed. I'm not that boy who asked too many questions and was so full of life. I can't be that person anymore without thinking of you, and when I think of you..."

He could hear the sound of a chocked back sob, "I don't blame you, I know it's not your fault, but it still hurts. It hurts so much." He was now crying and the scene broke Will's heart.

Will forgot why he was in a rush and that his parents would be very angry that he was so late, but even if he could find it in him to remember, he wouldn't care as he realised he recognize the boy. He looked up again to see him looking at the stars, not noticing he was there at all, and he continued to speak.

"I know that I should wish for you and mother to come back, or dad to be able to deal with your loss, but I know that..."

He stuttered and looked as if the next words pained him to say, "That you are gone and the best thing I can do is to try to move on. I miss you both so much though, it's just so hard to wake up and remember you are no longer a part of my life."

He paused to wipe his eyes but didn't notice the look Will gave him when he realized fully who he was.

"While I know nothing can bring you back, what I want is just for someone to understand me, to see past all the pain and my story, someone who will stick by me instead of just looking past me and not seeing who I am. Who won't replace you but will help me to move on." His voice broke as he continued.

"I guess all I want is a friend."

He stopped as he realized what his fear was; that he would be alone all over again. He looked up at the sky and a sad smile spread over his face, secretly knowing that although he wanted that friendship, he couldn't have the same relationship with anyone again. He couldn't afford to go through the heartache he would feel when he eventually loses them.

Will observed the broken boy who he never realized had been through so much. He could remember the boy having loads of friends and being happy, until one day, that completely stopped, and he closed himself off from the world. He decided that no one should ever have to be that sad and go through it alone so he promised himself he would try and befriend this lonely boy, be the thing he wanted most.

He then glanced at his watch realizing he was going to be really late now and would definitely be in trouble with his parents.


	2. chapter 2

Will fiddled with his pen as he waited for a certain person to walk through the classroom door he was beginning to despise. His chin was in his palm and he was growing bored of watching the clock tick by. He yawned, only to choke on the air as his eyes landed on the person he was looking for: Nico di Angelo. Nico glanced at the now choking Will, but nonetheless carried on towards his desk. Will scrambled onto his feet and followed, plonking down onto the chair next to him.

'Hi! Do you like cheese?' Will asked enthusiastically

Nico stared at him, wondering what drug this boy was on before answering

'Um... not really?'

Will frowned for a while, only to grin again before asking another question

'Do you like Greek yogurt? My mother recently bought me some from this fancy brand and I was hoping to share it with someone to get an outer opinion on if it tastes disgusting, so she doesn't get mad at me for wasting her money'

Nico just stared; it wasn't every day that someone sat next to him, never mind the fact he was talking about Greek yogurt. Maybe someone finally wanted to be his friend? He pondered for a bit before pushing the thought away to the back of his mind. There was no way that anyone would want to be his friend, yet he couldn't stop the part of him that hoped that that was the reason Will sat down. Will patiently waited for an answer, hoping he would actually get one; he knew Nico wasn't the most social but a simple question like his should've been easy to respond to. Maybe he should've introduced himself first? However, Will's thoughts were interrupted as Nico finally put forth an answer

'Um... I've never had Greek yogurt' he said, a thoughtful look appearing on his face before his usual stoic look returned. Will was about to answer but the bell interrupted their conversation, making them both slightly jump.

Nico quickly stood up, ready to leave. As he seemed to jump for the exit, he quickly looked back at the now lone figure

'I guess I'll see you around Will' he mumbled before leaving through the door. Will sat still for a moment, still taking in what had just happened until he realized he was blushing, and his face was heating up; 'He knows my name!' he exclaimed, a wide grin growing on his face.


	3. chapter 3

Nico opened his locker to get his books for his upcoming class. He was nervous about the test he had not revised for. As he closed his locker, he came face to face with the one and only Will Solace. He jumped back slightly in shock.

'Hi there! Are you prepared for the Chemistry test?' Will asked excitedly

'Not really, no'

Nico fiddled with his skull ring. He was still not used to talking to this blonde-haired boy who seemed to be so interested in him.

'Well, I'm sure you'll do great' Will said with a goofy grin.

Nico suddenly felt hot. Was he blushing? He put his hand up to his face, only to quickly put it down by his side again, realizing the blonde boy was still in front of him, staring in confusion.

'Um… I have got to go now' Nico said, slowly backing away before running towards who knew where.

Will pouted, did Nico not like his company? He was sure they had a connection, especially after their last encounter. However, this only made him more determined to befriend the aloof black-haired boy. Upon realizing what he was thinking, Will blushed.

'Dam'

In the next few days, Nico came to accept the blonde boy's sudden appearances in his life. It became so common, at this point, he was expecting it. However, instead of going straight to homeroom, Nico decided to go the library instead and study the only topic he was ever interested in: Greek mythology. He entered the quiet room, suddenly becoming shy as he realized he was the only person present. His shoes echoed against the wooden tiles as he walked towards the labelled section. He walked down the aisle, searching for the designated book. After finding the thick book he'd previously researched, he put his hand up the take it off the shelf, only to feel a warmth brush against his hand. He turned and looked up in surprise when he saw the familiar sky-blue eyes: Will. They stared at each other, holding their gazes as they let go of the textbook.

'Nico, what are you doing here? I didn't know you were interested in Greek mythology'

'Um... I'm in your class' Will blinked, yet to finish processing what he'd just heard. And then it hit him.

'Oh yeah! You're the one that told us about Hades, the god of...?' Will cursed at himself for not listening that day.

'God of the underworld' Nico filled in with a blank look

'The God of the underworld! Right!' Will chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his neck with his now sweaty hand.

'Well, I'll be going now so… See you' Will left to leave, only to be stopped by feeling a hand wrap around his wrist.

'I could tell you more about it... If you want' Nico said with a red, nervous face while still holding onto Will's wrist.

Will grinned before eagerly nodding. With that, Will reached up to grab the textbook that brought them together in the first place, only to clumsily let it fall from him hands and land on the floor with a thud.

He crouched down, internally cringing. He went to pick up the large book, only to widen his eyes when he felt a hand on top of his. He looked up to find Nico's hand on top of his, and saw his face covered with a rosy hue, similar to his own. They stared at each other again, as if time had stopped.

They then heard a cough, and both looked up to find a librarian looking down at them. 'Excuse me boys, but I need to get through' She said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Will stood up with the book, slightly upset at the loss of warmth on his hand, and Nico followed suite. They both apologized profusely before going towards a small corner in the quiet library.

They both sat and began to converse about their new common interest of Greek mythology. The clock loudly ticked at the sound of their quiet murmurs, signaling the end of the morning getting closer and as time went by, so did Will and Nico.


	4. chapter 4

Nico and Will were currently at Nico's house, revising for an upcoming test. Will mumbled under his breath, "I hate this. I wish I was some genius or tests weren't a thing!"

Nico chuckled, "You know, my sister used to always say if you wish for something, you should say it to the stars, and it'll come true!"

"Really? Oh yeah, that's what you were doing that night, at the balcony!" Will started, only to go red, "I mean- that's nice of her to say..."

"What do you mean that night...?" Nico questioned before realizing what Will had just confessed, "You were there weren't you?"

"Well... I mean... Yeah I might've heard what you were saying but nonetheless-" Will stuttered, trying to think of excuses to cover up his snooping confession.

"Is that the only reason you talked to me?" Nico asked while slowly getting angrier

"No! Of course not." Will replied indignant, not realizing he was lying

"Was I-" Will could see the look of disbelief wash off his face until he just had a look of hurt

"I was just a project-"

"No!" Will cut him off but Nico continued

"That you were trying to fix!"

"No, Nico we're friends!"

"But Will, you never would have talked to me if you didn't know the sad little story!"

"What? That's not true!"

"Yes! Yes, it is."Nico had such a look of hurt in his eyes it crushed Will's heart

"I trusted you."

"I didn't expect you to react like this!"

"Oh, did you expect me to be happy? Did you expect me to forgive you? Did you expect me to not be mad? Did you expect me to be thankful? Well you were wrong." Nico was angry but had started to calm down as his tears started to fall despite his attempts to stop them, "And if you expected me to still count you as a friend... I don't think so."

Nico had turned as he had to pretended that he was still angry, but really each word that passed his lips was killing him. He turned to leave but Will called out to him

"Nico, wait!" Nico turned but the tears that had already started to fall were giving his true feelings away.

"I never wanted to hurt you!"

"You never saw me as a person to hurt." Nico muttered

"Nico, that's not fair, you know that I care for you!"

"No, you don't. If you really think about it, our whole friendship was built on lies. You didn't even know I was in half your classes. But this was my fault. I was stupid enough to actually believe you would be my friend based on my personality."

"No that's no true!"

"But it is Will." Nico's voice cracked as he repeated, "It is."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop, Will. Just stop. I trusted you, it was my mistake. So, you don't have to apologies" Tears streamed down Nico's face and he was no longer able to hide them.

"Just go."

"Nico..."

"Leave!" Nico shouted, before calming down and said with a sigh, "Will, leave."

"Nico..." A broken look was on Will's face

"I wish I could take back all the times I let you in. All the secrets I told you. Because they may have meant something to me, but they obviously meant nothing to you." Nico muttered out

"Don't do this Nico I..."

"Save it. I don't care what you have to say because I know no matter how many times you break my heart, I will always be there. I will always trust you and all that will happen is me getting hurt. So, don't say anything because it will be easier on the both of us if you just leave." Nico said forcefully

Will looked at the boy and made one more attempt to get through to him but all Nico did was shake his head and turn around wiping tears from his cheeks. So, Will left with a gaping hole in his heart - a place Nico used to fill without him even realizing it.


	5. chapter 5

It had been a few weeks since Will and Nico stopped talking to each other. Whenever they walked past each other or saw each other, it was as if the friendship they had never happened.

Will was killing himself inside. How he missed seeing Nico's face light up whenever he walked into the room. How he missed their frequent library study sessions. How he missed their midnight chats on the phone. How he missed styling Nico's unruly hair whenever he came around his house. Not only was his mood currently in the dumps, his grades were too; Will found it ironic.

Will's sudden change didn't go unnoticed. His teachers and classmates noticed how his signature smile was no longer there, how he was no longer radiating sunshine and positivity. It didn't take them long to find out the cause. They saw how the two no longer exchanged words in classes, despite being on opposite sides of the room. They saw the awkwardness when the two were often paired up for projects. They saw how the two wouldn't even look at each other. They saw it all. But what could they do? They were only side characters in a tragic story, they had no right to interfere in others' businesses and they didn't know what'd really happened.

Nico, on the other hand, felt numb. He didn't know what he was feeling. Loss? Hurt? All things he was too familiar with. He was the one who initiated the isolation between him and Will; he wanted nothing to do with the blonde anymore. However, he couldn't help noticing a clog in his throat whenever he saw the said boy. He was feeling something else. Perhaps, remorse? Regret? Nico only confused himself even more and pushed these feelings away, isolating himself further not from just Will, but the world. He'd soon started skipping school, cooping himself up in his house, distracting himself as much as he could. He'd write poems, passages, notes to himself that he'd stick on his walls or put in his clothes, making a mess everywhere he went.

This led him to having huge losses of sleep. He'd spend nights sitting on his bed, wrapped in a blanket watching a blank screen on his laptop, the bags under his eyes deepening by the day.

One day, during the weekend, Nico finally decided to drag himself out of his house and see the light for once. He put on his favorite hoodie and brushed his hair with his hands before heading out. Upon squinting against the sun, he put his hood up and shoved his hands into his pockets before walking down the pavement.

Little did he know a familiar blonde was behind him.

This isn't stalking is it? No, I'm just checking up on him, seeing if he's alive. That's a valid reason, right?

Will was once again conflicted. He'd noticed the raven-haired male's absences and couldn't help being worried. Each morning he'd walk past Nico's house and wait for him to come out, but he never did.

Until today.

Will was also wearing a hoodie, keeping a distance between him and the boy to avoid creating suspicion. He was simply following him to see how'd he been, what he'd been doing recently. Except, Will knew that he'd never be able to muster up the courage to talk to Nico again and so could only imagine the response he'd give.

How are you Will? Avoiding you.

What have you been up to? Ignoring you.

Will mumbled to himself, frowning before looking up to see that Nico was no longer in sight, but instead lay a crumpled-up piece of paper.

Did he just turn into a piece of paper? What is this Greek magic? Will hurriedly walked to it, picking it up and unraveling the contents before slowly raising his hand to his mouth.

It's all my fault. It's always my fault. Why? Why did this happen again?

These words were scrawled all over the piece of paper. Will thought back to his time with Nico. He'd noticed the scars on Nico's arms, the pills, the self-help books at his house. Will thought he could help; Will thought he could have been the shoulder Nico needed to lean on.

But he was wrong.

Will's eyes widened as thoughts ran through his head and he soon began running towards the direction Nico was supposedly going. Once he turned the corner, he could only stop in his tracks at the sight before him. Nico stepped out onto the busy roads and as a car quickly approached, Will could only helplessly reach out with his hand.

"NICO!"


	6. chapter 6

Will paced up and down the hospital corridor, his palms sweaty and his knees weak. It had been only a few hours since Nico had been admitted into hospital after his attempted suicide. The scene of the car crashing into the raven-haired boy kept replaying in Will's head, and he couldn't stop it. How the impact caused Nico almost flying, before blood began pooling from under him. Will remembered how he felt frozen, feet stuck to the pavement, before he began running towards to unconscious boy on the road that people began to crowd around. The sirens from the ambulance kept haunting him, blaring in his ears.

"Um, sir, could you please sit down? You're in the way of the hallway."

Will spun around to see a nurse, clearly annoyed, pushing a child in a wheelchair and he grew red in embarrassment before stuttering an apology and sitting down in the white chairs, letting the two passes by. He let out a breath and put his head in his hands.

How long has it been?

Will pulled at his hair in frustration, trying to rid the dark thoughts plaguing his mind, before he felt his trouser being tugged at. He slowly looked up to meet a pair of unfamiliar dark brown eyes; a child's eyes.

"What's wrong?" the small girl asked. Will didn't answer. She tugged at his trouser again and he finally gave in.

"My b- FRIEND, my friend is really hurt right now, and I don't know if he's going to be okay." Will replied, managing to muster a small smile at the child.

"I'm sure he'll be okay!" the girl exclaimed, now tugging at Will's hand, "My sister's also hurt, but my mum says if I keep wishing to the stars for her to be okay, she will!"

Wow doesn't that sound familiar.

"You should wish to the stars as well!" the girl carried on, "Hey, if you wish for my sister to get better, I'll wish for your friend to get better too!"

Will couldn't help but smile.

"Sure," he said, holding his pinky out, "Promise?"

"Pinky promise!" the girl said, her eyes lighting up before she shook his pinky with hers, "What's your name?"

"Will"

"I'm Hazel! Remember it for our wishing! I need to go now, my mum's probably looking for me!" Hazel suddenly flung her arms out. Will was confused at first, but then realized she wanted a hug. He gladly accepted, carefully putting his arms around her petite frame. She pulled away and began walking down the corridor whilst waving,

"Bye Will! Remember to wish!"

Will had gotten out of the hospital to get some fresh air. He found himself at a bridge, under the night sky, and thought back to the promise he'd made to Hazel. He looked up towards the sky and began muttering to himself.

"Dear Stars, how do I even do this? What do I say? You know, I uh... I hope Hazel's sister gets better you know. She seems sweet and really helped me out. She recommended me to talk to you, or rather wish to you. And people are staring at me now, great. I guess what I'm trying to say is... Please, please, please let Nico be okay. Like, I don't care if he gets some long-term side effects or whatever but actually, he might so never mind... Just please, let him be okay. Please."

Will exhaled, not realizing that a familiar black-haired boy was looking at him through a window of the hospital he'd just left.


	7. chapter 7

Despite visiting him almost every day, Will could not seem to catch a time where Nico was awake; that or Nico was faking being asleep as Will swore he saw his hand and eyes twitch during multiple occasions.

Will was currently in his last class of the school day. He was slumped over his desk, chin in the palm of his hand. He was staring at the clock, waiting for the bell to ring so he could quickly make his exit and head towards the hospital.

Before he knew it, the bell rang and he slid all his things into his bag, rushing out the door in a hurry. He quickly stepped down the entrance stairs and began running to the train station, hoping he wouldn't miss the train, like he did last week.

Will sighed in relief as he leaned against the now closed train doors. He'd barely made it on time, as he'd stopped to fawn over a cat he saw on the way. He pulled his hood up before plugging in his headphones and listening to music, whilst looked at the passing scenery in front of him. The train ride to the hospital didn't take that long; only 15 minutes. However, due to Will's lack of self-control and his many detentions, he found it hard to catch the earliest train to visit his friend acquaintance.

The train finally came to a stop and Will stepped out of the open train doors before quickly heading out of the station and towards the hospital.

He stood in front of the big building. He took in a deep breath and stepped through the glass double doors. Due to his constant visiting, the receptionist at the desk was practically used to the boy coming every day and no longer batted an eye to him, allowing him to just pass through with ease.

Will stood in front of the closed, white door, his hand on the doorknob. Taking another deep breath, he opened the door and saw the black-haired male sitting up on his bed, covered in bandages.

The two boys stared at each other for a while, as if in a trance. However, Nico was the first to break the silence.

"What are you doing here?"

Will blinked.

"Huh?"

"I said, what are you doing here?"

"Visiting you, of course! I've been really worried y'know."

"I don't need your pity. I thought I said I didn't want to see you again?"

"You did? I mean frankly, I don't really remember but that could be because of my horrible memory..."

Will trailed off as he saw one of Nico's eyebrows slowly raising. To be truthful, Will had tried to forget everything about that fateful day, but now it only seemed as if he didn't care or wasn't listening that day.

"Well, you can leave now." Nico said, interrupting Will's inner thoughts.

"What? Why? I only just got here!"

"I was actually about to take a nap."

"Really?" Will questioned, pointing to the tray filled with food on Nico's lap. Nico could only look away, embarrassed that he was caught lying.

"How did you find me?"

"What?"

"How did you find me?"

Will was dumbfounded at the sudden question.

"Honestly, I was going to go to your house to... give you the homework you missed?"

Nico raised his eyebrow again.

"Really?"

"Okay! Truth is, I was following you, only because I was worried about you! You hadn't come to school in ages and I was concerned."

"There you go lying again-"

"Doesn't matter! In the end, I saved your life!" Will protested.

Nico could only look away again.

"Anyway, you won't need to worry about me lying again, because I promise you I will gain your trust and our friendship back."

Nico scoffed.

"Just you wait Nico di Angelo, I'll let you eat or whatever, but I'll be back!"

Will grinned at Nico before quickly exiting. However, he was too quick to see the smile that was appearing on the raven-haired boy's face.


	8. chapter 8

"I need you to talk to me Nico!"

Will stood so he was facing Nico head on, a frown on his face. After countless days of being shut down by Nico, Will decided enough was enough and took matters into his own hands.

"What do you want me to say?" Nico replied, glaring back at the blonde boy.

"I understand that you shouldn't just forget it and forgive me but this is never going to be sorted out if we don't talk about it!"

"I don't think we need too."

"Stop trying to avoid this conversation!"

"I'm not- "

"Yes, you are!" Will snapped back, before softening his tone and continuing, "Just talk to me."

Nico sighed, angrily running his hand through his hair.

"Will, through my life I've lost so much. I told myself I would never give anyone the ability to get close to me and hurt me. But I let you in. I never knew after all the smiles you brought me you could cause me so many tears. I thought of you as the person who would never, ever hurt me,"

A wistful smile graced his face for a moment, only to disappear and be replaced by tears that began to fall down his cheeks before he continued, "And god, it's never hurt so much to be wrong."

Will shook his head, fresh tears falling down too and as he was about to reply, Nico continued.

"The biggest problem is; I still care. You still mean so much to me. And I had to let you go, not because I stopped caring, -I doubt I ever will-, but because I can't trust you anymore. Not again."

"I get that I hurt you but shutting me out isn't going to change anything!Forgetting won't fix this. What we had is worth fighting for. We were friends. Best friends."

He paused and before reaching out to hold Nico's hand with his own shaking one.

"Don't let that end, because we were brilliant. Nico, I don't want that to end."

Nico looked at Will's hand on his and looked back up to meet his eyes. Was he really ready to forgive him? However, his heart overpowered his mind, and he found himself blurting out:

"I-I forgive you."

Nico quickly looked away before finishing, not wanting to see Will's reaction.

"But Idon't know if I can trust you again. It's always been hard for me to trust people and just when I started to trust you... You broke it."

Will's face fell.

"Nico, the last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you."

"And I believe you.You never meant to, but you did, and I can't do this because it'll happen again, and it will hurt both of us. And neither one of us will mean it, but it's going to happen and it's going to hurt us both."

Will furrowed his eyebrow before putting his hand on Nico's shoulder and turning him so they were facing each other again.

"I won't let you throw this away! We're strong Nico, we can face this and even better we'll face it together."

"Will, I can't-"

"Yes, you can, you were never meant to mean this much to me; I was never supposed to fall for you this hard. But you know what? I did. And that's what keeps me holding on because it hurts like hell to let you go. So, I promise to never give up, on you and on us."

Nico blinked, taking in the confession Will had just made, before shaking his head, his bangs covering his eyes.

"I'm scared to get this close to people because everyone who promised they would stay left me anyway."

"And I understand! But you're going to have to believe that I won't leave because I can't even imagine what it would be like living without you."

"But when something goes wrong-"

"I'll be here."

"When someone else better comes along-"

"There is no one better."

Nico laughed, obviously not believing him, but Will cut him off again,

"You aren't an option to me; you're a priority. I need you."

Nico looked into his Will's eyes, not noticing there was barely an inch between their faces, and through the tears a small smile appeared.

"...Okay"


End file.
